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Sanctions keep Iran off US banks

Monday February 15 2016

A man stops at a Bank of America ATM in Washington, DC on February 5, 2014. Iran remains off limits to US banks despite the lifting of some US sanctions following the landmark Iranian nuclear deal. PHOTO | AFP

In Summary

Iran remains essentially off limits to US banks, despite the lifting of some US sanctions following the landmark Iranian nuclear deal.

They mostly cannot handle transactions for US and other companies involved in Iran, and the Iranian government and private entities cannot open accounts with US banks.

The sanctions still in place were imposed not over Iran’s nuclear programme but its record on terrorism and human rights.

Iran remains essentially off limits to US banks, despite the lifting of some US sanctions following the landmark Iranian nuclear deal.

The Obama administration in mid-January eased several restrictions on doing business with Iran, including former “secondary” sanctions that had threatened to penalise companies outside the US for their business with Iran, as well as some restrictions on Americans seeking to make inroads in the oil-rich country.

Nevertheless, most “primary” sanctions tied to accusations that Tehran supports terrorism remain in effect, blocking US businesses from joining a rush by non-US companies to cash in on Iran’s potential revival.

It means that US banks have little access to the oil-rich country compared to their rivals in other countries.

They mostly cannot handle transactions for US and other companies involved in Iran, and the Iranian government and private entities cannot open accounts with US banks.

“We’re still very prohibited from engaging in just about any business activity with Iran except on very limited exceptions.”

Several leading US banks, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, declined comment on the issue.

But many remain keen to exploit the Iran opportunity. They have turned to teams of lawyers and other specialists as they plumb the shifting legal terrain.“We continue to monitor the developments in Iran,” said Citigroup spokesman Kamran Mumtaz.

Foreign banks operating in the US too remain hemmed in by the sanctions still in place, because they are forbidden from clearing US dollar-denominated transactions involving Iran through US banks, according to OFAC.

In addition, some 200 Iran-related individuals and entities on a list of “blocked” persons, including large government entities involved deeply in the economy like the powerful Revolutionary Guards.